The text is divided into three major sections or clusters of chapters: Goals of Science Instruction, Setting the Stage, and The Teaching Cycle. The first two sections provide the theoretical and practical foundations for instruction, while the third section comprises the most significant portion of the text. Solidly based on the National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks for Science Literacy, this new elementary science methods text immerses students into the context of classroom instruction through the authors' unique approach using “The Teaching Cycle”: Goal Setting; Materials Development and Selection; Pedagogy; Assessment; Reflection.